Last semester I was lucky enough to be able to travel abroad to Australia and visit New Zealand along the way.
When traveling, it’s a common operation for travelers to prioritize the documentation of their adventures. From personal experience, this documentation seemed to be over taking overall experiences. This was something I struggled with as I could not find balance in enjoying the beauty of the environment and the company of my new friends.
As we hiked across black sand beaches, saw breathtaking waterfalls, and watched surfers rip through the waves I realized I was in fact not enjoying these ever-fleeting moments. Instead, I was thinking about which pictures I would post to my Instagram followers.
It hit me that I could likely never be at this beautiful place with these beautiful people again and posting on social media to update people I did not even know was what I was thinking about?! Can somebody say “reality check”?! From that day forward I decided it was time for a break. So, I deleted my Instagram and lived the last few weeks of the journey of a lifetime in awe of the beauty I was able to experience. I decided to live in the present.
Is it just me or do other people realize they do this too?
Does our generation truly live to update our social media followers about all the highs in our life?
Are we constantly trying to put on a façade of our best times or prettiest pictures constitute the entirety of who we are?
Within the five months that I have been “off-the-grid” so to speak, I can say I feel that I have had more genuine interactions. I also found the irony in social media, because its purpose is to keep everyone connected, but in reality, do we just feel more alone?